One Last Fight
by Suni Daughter of Moro
Summary: The Ronins the warlords Kayra Mia Yuli and three of the Ronin's sisters (yes, I gave Cye Sage and Rowen sisters) team up to claim a new armor supposedly designed by a goddess and defeat a demon. (Romance: Rowen and Allyson)
1. Default Chapter

Chapter One: A Shift in the Wind  
  
The dreams never ceased. Visions continued to plague him- visions continued to plague them all. Ryo knew it was no coincidence that they were all having these dreams. Something was happening; something was changing. But what was it?  
The dreams were clear enough to be sure they weren't ordinary dreams but they were too cryptic to decipher. All that was clear from these visions was that Yuli would be involved, as well as Kayra and the warlords. There also seemed to be something about two girls and a tenth armor but it wasn't anything certain about it.  
After being awoken by the cryptic vision for the twelfth time in one night, Ryo gave up on his feeble attempt at getting some sleep and left his room. He headed down to the kitchen where he found the others waiting for him. After about four hours of on and off sleep, all of them threw their need for sleep aside and met in the kitchen, where they fended off the urge to sleep with lattes and Oreos. Sage, being the smart one of the group, was very hesitant to submit to this nightly ritual of wiring his body on caffeine and sugar but he eventually gave in.  
"Glad to see ya up, Ryo," Rowen said with a grin. "Misery loves company."  
"For being misery you seem awfully cheerful," Ryo murmured, sliding into a seat opposite Rowen.  
"Yeah well what can I say?" he leaned back in his chair. "The dreams make me miserable but reality makes me happy."  
"Is this about your girlfriend again?" Kento asked, stuffing his mouth with Oreos.  
Shortly after their dealings with the Netherworld had ended, Rowen had met a girl. She was unusually strong, very pretty, and quite an intellectual. Her hair was reddish-brown and her eyes were blue. She wore normal clothes and went by the name of Allyson. Rowen had liked Allyson from the start but the feelings were not immediately returned. It was quite an effort to win her over, but Rowen was happy that he had, because, when Allyson was with him, he felt like he was the luckiest guy in the world.  
"Actually," Rowen replied with a sly smirk, "it's about my fiancée."  
Except for Kento's choking on Oreos in shock, the room fell awkwardly silent. To say the least, this was a very brusque change in events. After about ten minutes of the uncomfortable silence, Ryo decided to break it.  
"So I take it this means you're really in love with her then, huh?" Ryo said.  
"Yep! Sure am!" Rowen grinned proudly.  
"I think it's time we turn to more important matters," Sage spoke up. "Not that your engagement isn't a big deal, Rowen, but if we don't decipher these dreams, the world might end."  
"Ya really think it's that serious, Sage? If it were that serious, dontcha think Kayra woulda figured it out and contacted us already?" Rowen asked.  
"Something tells me she's been trying to contact us for a long time but she doesn't know how to," Sage replied. "She showed up in one of my visions tonight and said something about Tokyo Tower at noon. I think we should go check out this lead tomorrow."  
"What if it's not a lead and yer just bloomin crazy, mate, what then?" Cye chuckled.  
"Or what if Kayra's contacting you in particular because she wants to meet you there for a date?" Kento winked, teasingly.  
"Kayra doesn't like me that way, Kento," Sage said calmly, though slightly blushing.  
"Of course she doesn't. We're just playing with your head, mate," Cye laughed.  
"Yeah, we all know Mia's more your type than Kayra is," Rowen teased.  
"For the one thousand two hundred thirty-first time, Mia is not my girlfriend," Sage insisted.  
"Dude, I don't think were up to the one thousand two hundred thirty- first time you've had to say that yet," Kento said.  
Yes, we are," Sage replied. "I've been counting."  
"Ah leave him alone guys," Ryo insisted. "He doesn't like Mia or Kayra. cause I saw him going to dinner with some other chick last night."  
"You. saw that?" Sage blushed.  
"Yep. She's pretty cute and she seems smart. What's her name?"  
"Uh. well. It's. Aonor," Sage replied nervously, with his head turned to the side, "Aonor Minamoto."  
"Cute name too," Ryo said. "So how'd you meet her?"  
"Some guy was mugging her," Sage replied.  
"And Sage the Brave saves the day right?" Rowen laughed softly.  
"Can we get off the subject of my romance life and go watch TV or something?"  
"Yeah, let's go," Ryo agreed.  
  
At ten the next morning, the boys set out for Tokyo. With some effort, some help from strangers, and the aid of a map, they managed to find Tokyo Tower. Kayra was there waiting for them with several escorts that remained unseen until she brought the Ronins into an alleyway. She had brought the three remaining warlords with her as we as two female escorts, who stayed in the shadows.  
"So Kayra, let's get down to it- what's going on?" Ryo asked.  
"Manners should come before business, Ryo. I have not made proper introductions," she replied. "Girls."  
The two women in the shadows stepped into the light. One was about five foot five with messy blue hair and blue eyes. She was dressed in clothes similar to Kayra's battle gear and she carried a quiver of silver arrows. The other woman was approximately five foot seven with blond tousled hair and green eyes. She carried a large sword and wore an emerald kimono which cut off an inch about the knee.  
"If they weren't women I'd say I already knew them," Kento glanced back and forth between the two girls and Rowen and Sage and noticed the unbelievable amount of similarities.  
"Boys, I would like you to meet Samantha and Rebecca. Girls, these are the Ronins. That's Ryo of the wildfire, Cye of the torrent, Kento of the hard rock, and I believe you already know Sage and Rowen."  
"Oniichan?" Samantha and Rebecca questioned together. "Oniichan!"  
All of a sudden, Sage found his oxygen being cut off by a giant hug from Samantha. Rowen found himself in a similar disposition, except he was being crushed by Rebecca.  
"I'm sure even you two, Sage and Rowen, do not remember Samantha and Rebecca. You were separated when you were very young. Though Samantha is Sage's sister and Rebecca is Rowen's, they were raised by different people. Samantha and Rebecca were raised by bandits, while Rowen and Sage were raised by others," Kayra said. She then turned to Cye and frowned, "I'm sorry, Cye. I was able to locate your sister but she disappeared one night."  
"Ah don't worry about it, Kayra. She's been in good hands," Cye smirked. "Rowen's been making sure o that."  
"What do you mean?" Rowen asked.  
"Didn't I tell ya, mate? Your fiancée is my sister!" he laughed.  
"How could you forget to tell him something like that?" Ryo asked.  
"I dunno! Must 'ave slipped me mind!" Cye smiled nervously.  
"How does something like that slip your mind!?" Rowen shouted.  
"Boys! This is no time for petty quarreling!" Kayra insisted. "The fate of the world is at hand!"  
"Well, fill us in, Kayra!" Kento insisted.  
"Let's start from the beginning. Long ago in ancient times, around the time your armors were forged, a peculiar young woman was born. Her strange unity with nature and ability to predict and even alter wind currents were what made her so peculiar. Some people feared she was a demon; others believed she was a goddess. Either way, her name was Kaze and she was more popularly known as the Wind Goddess. When she passed on, she left behind no body and no ash- all that remained of her was a magical armor. With her body missing, people believed that she seriously was a goddess and that she hadn't died but had rather returned to heaven, leaving this armor behind as a tool for humans to achieve a final victory over evil. Even I do not know Kaze's origin, but I do know that no suitable wearer for the armor was ever found. Thus, to prevent it from falling into the hands of wicked creatures, the humans sealed the armor deep within the ground."  
"And how does the impending doom of the planet come into all of this?" Rowen asked.  
"A very powerful hate has been growing in the area where the armor was buried. This hatred has given birth to a powerful bloodthirsty demon, who is now seeking the armor. If the demon gets the armor, the world could be destroyed."  
"Demons are born from hatred among men?" Kento blinked. "They don't come from other demons?"  
"While it is possible, it is less likely for a demon to be born of a demon mother rather than from the hatred here on earth," Kayra replied. "Demons do not get along with each other well; if by some miracle, a male and a female demon get along well enough to have children, it is most likely that they will despise, and ultimately kill their offspring."  
"So where will we find this demon and this armor?" Ryo asked.  
"On the island of Hong Kong- that is all the information I have. Your friend Mia might be of some use in finding the exact location. She studies mythology does she not?"  
"If we ask her, she'll demand that we bring her along," Kento looked at the others.  
"And then Yuli will insist on coming with us," Sage continued.  
"Too bad the kid's parents disappeared. If he weren't living with Mia, we might have been able to get away with only taking her."  
After all the business with the Netherworld was finished, Yuli's parents did return. However, on April morning, Yuli woke up and found that he was the only living being in the household. Instead of waiting there for some strangers to come and ship him off to an orphanage, Yuli went to Mia's house right away. He'd been living there ever since.  
"Shall we begin our quest to claim the armor and defeat the demon now?" Kayra asked.  
"Let's go," Ryo smirked. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Encountering the Enemy  
  
It took quite a while for everything to be settled. First, everyone had to be rounded up and only after everyone was together could they get situated. Then, they boarded the next possible flight to Hong Kong.  
"I don't see why you made me take Allyson along," Rowen murmured to Cye. "Wouldn't she have been better off not coming?"  
"Don't worry, mate. My sister's as tough as nails," Cye smirked. "Besides, she'd kill us both if we left her out of anything this important."  
"So Kayra," Ryo turned to her, bringing all eyes to fall on the two of them, with the exception of Rebecca and Samantha's. "What's with the weapons Becca and Sam carry?"  
"I thought it a fitting idea," she replied. "Since they are the sisters of Rowen and Sage, their weapons are the 'sisters' of Rowen and Sage's weapons. I followed a similar principle when I made this staff for Allyson," Kayra held out a staff that looked like Cye's weapon.  
"What exactly do you mean by 'sister weapons'?" Ryo asked.  
"I mean that Rebecca's arrows can perform the Arrow Shockwave, Samantha's sword can perform the Thunderbolt Cut, and Allyson's staff can perform Super Wave Smasher."  
"But. how? I thought only weapons that came with one of the nine armors could perform those techniques," Sage said, butting into the conversation.  
"That is not necessarily true, Sage of the Halo. Other weapons can produce such effects if forged from the same amount and type of energy and if the owners of those weapons have the power to use them correctly. Samantha and Rebecca took awhile to get used to their weapons so I trust the same will be true of Allyson. We'll have to start training her right away."  
"Give me that!" Allyson snapped the staff from Kayra's hand. "I need no practice and no training! I'll master this staff with ease."  
"As you wish," Kayra replied.  
"Hey. this is fun.," Allyson said to herself as she formed a large ball of water with the trident's power. "Hey Kayra!"  
"What is it?" Kayra asked, turning around to face Allyson.  
"Catch!" Allyson grinned and sent the ball of water straight into Kayra's face.  
"I.," Kayra wiped the water from her face, "I can't believe she was able to use the trident so quickly."  
"Of course she was able to," Cye sat back in his seat and closed his eyes. "She can perform Super Wave Smasher with her bare hands; what makes you think she can't make a little ball of water with the trident?"  
"That's impossible!" Kayra said. "Nobody can perform such a technique with his or her bare hands!"  
"Did I also forget to mention she's only my half-sister?" Cye asked.  
"Half-sister?" Rowen asked.  
"Yeah. Her mum was a demon," he answered.  
"Yep, a demon of nature. She was a great woman. Very strong but very sweet- you'd never expect her to be a demon," Allyson said as she formulated a thunderbolt in her hands. "Hey! I never made a thunderbolt before!"  
"Mia, did you manage to locate the burial site of that armor?" Kayra asked.  
"Yes, I did. In the far northeast of Hong Kong."  
"How convenient," Sage said. "That's where the plane lands, isn't it?"  
"Lucky us," Ryo murmured.  
  
After departing from the plane once it landed, the group set out to search for the burial site of the armor. It was a simple search, seeing as Mia had found the exact coordinates in advance, but something was peculiar about the scenery.  
It was like the world had shifted into another world. The outskirts of the city disappeared and the whole area became dead and silent. It looked like an ordinary rural scene but it felt too cold to be any earthly place.  
Ahead of them, at the exact site where the armor was supposedly buried, there stood a woman. She was tall and had long blonde hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. She wore a blue cloak and there was something peculiar about her.. Her skin gave off a faint glow and her feet did not touch the ground.  
"Hello! Who are you? And what are you doing out here?" Ryo asked. He knew from the start that this woman was most likely the demon but he decided to ask first.  
"I," she turned to them, "am Kaze. This armor is my doing, Ronin, and so it belongs to me. Now leave."  
Allyson perked up at the tone of the voice- how it maintained a certain soft characteristic though being so bitter and hateful- but she remained silent. Cye picked up on the same thing but, since Allyson had said nothing, he said nothing as well.  
"You're Kaze? The Wind Goddess?" Ryo asked.  
"You humans are so stupid," Kaze replied sharply. "I am not a goddess! I am a demon!"  
"So you're the demon," Rowen growled. "I've got half a mind to kick your head in, lady. Leave the armor and I might reconsider."  
"Very well," Kaze said. "You may have the armor for now. Might as well let you have the upper hand before I demonstrate my full potential." With that, Kaze vanished and the feeling of life slowly reentered the landscape.  
"God, Cye! How could she do this to me!?" Allyson suddenly burst into tears on her brother's shoulder.  
"Sorry, Sis. We all have to face our fair share of problems in life," Cye wrapped a comforting arm around Allyson.  
"What's wrong?" Rowen asked, approaching them slowly.  
"That," Cye said softly, "was Allyson's mom, mate."  
"Kaze is your mother, Allyson?" Rowen placed a gentle hand on Allyson's shoulder. She gave a soft nod and he frowned, "I'm sorry. I wish things weren't this way but they are."  
"I can't believe she'd do this to me," Allyson wiped away her tears. "The only way to get the revenge I seek for this wrong. is for me to be the one to take that armor and defeat her."  
"Go ahead and try," Ryo said. "I think it's a good idea- you take the armor."  
Allyson slowly marched up the path to the armor's resting place. Kaze had dug it up before they arrived, so there was no work to be done. All she had to do was reach out and touch it. The armor was hers. Hesitantly, Allyson stretched out her arm and toughed the armor.  
There was no reaction. The armor refused Allyson as its owner. Furious and frustrated, Allyson kicked the armor to the ground and cried again. The others approached slowly, hoping to offer some solace. While everyone else was busy comforting Allyson, Yuli looked at the armor on the ground. Even though he was only a child, he realized what a disgrace it was to leave an armor laying on the ground like garbage. Yuli knelt down to set the armor back up and suddenly. it happened. The armor found its owner in a small boy.  
"Well," Sage said in order to break the shocked silence, "At least we know now why our dreams showed Yuli as being a very active part of this fight."  
Allyson headed back to the city without a word. She was slightly upset at what had happened. A child had received the armor she was after. Once Rowen noticed she was on the move, he followed Allyson back, hoping that she would be alright.  
"Allyson, wait up!" Rowen called.  
"Leave me alone!" she yelled back. "I want to be left alone!"  
"What's wrong with you!?" Rowen demanded, grabbing her wrist and pushing her to the wall of an old warehouse they were passing. "Why do you have to be so stubborn!? I want to help you!"  
"I don't want or need your help," Allyson growled.  
"If you don't need my help, then at least take it for my sake," Rowen smiled softly.  
"I don't want your help. but, now that I think about it, I could use your company."  
  
Rowen and Allyson arrived back at the hotel a little while later. They went up to the room Rowen Cye and Allyson all shared. (It wasn't cheap to rent hotel rooms for fourteen people and Cye wasn't going to let Rowen and Allyson share a hotel room alone.) Allyson flicked on the lights and picked up her bags.  
"That looks like an awful lot of stuff for what we think is only going to be one week here. What do you have in there?" Rowen asked.  
"Book after book after book," Allyson replied, pulling out a couple of poetry books. "Do you like poetry?"  
"Sort of," Rowen replied. "Some of it's kinda stupid though. Ever read any Robert. What was his last name again?"  
"Robert Frost, maybe?" Allyson offered.  
"Yeah! That's him!"  
"I've read him. I personally find him overrated. He writes garbage and people think it's the greatest."  
"I know. What about that one about the horse? How can anyone spend two pages saying, 'I saw a horse. It ran away. I drove off.'?" Rowen said as he began paging through one of a poetry book. "Ah! Here's a great writer!"  
"Yeah? Who do you have there?" Allyson leaned forward.  
"'Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December/ And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor./Eagerly I wished the morrow;- vainly I had sought to borrow/ From my books surcease of sorrow- sorrow for the lost Lenore-/ For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore-/ Nameless here for evermore.'"  
"Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven," Allyson said. "He really is the best. Even when it isn't his key focus, he still writes a fantastic poem. Like this one from 'The Fall of the House of Usher'- 'But evil things, in robes of sorrow/ Assailed the monarch's high estate/ Ah, let us mourn, for never morrow/ Shall dawn upon him, desolate!/ And, round about his home, the glory/ That blushed and bloomed/ Is but a dim-remembered story/ Of the old time entombed.'"  
"Yeah, the only problem is understanding some of the language he uses. Did you ever read 'The Cask of Amontillado'?"  
"I had to have an English teacher explain that one to me. All the same, it was great. For living in an era where delving into the human psyche was still considered witchcraft to some extent, he sure knew a lot about the inner workings of the human mind and psychosis."  
"'Ello mates," Cye smiled as he entered the room. "What are you two up to?"  
"Reading," Allyson replied, turning the pages to 'The Cask of Amontillado'. "I haven't read it since I was ten," she thought to herself, "maybe I was just too young to understand."  
"Well you might want to keep the volume down on your 'Poe Commentary.' We're all the way down the hall in Ryo's Sage's and Kento's room and we can hear you two clear as a bell," Cye said.  
"Sorry," Allyson apologized, slightly blushing in embarrassment of the volume of her voice.  
"It's okay. I'll be down in that room for a bit. We're playing board games. Come join us if you want," Cye left, only to return an instant later. "Oh and Sage says that quote from 'The Fall of the House of Usher' was in fact a song. He says, 'In case you missed the symbolism, the song is really about Roderick slipping into insanity. He is the king and the kingdom is his mind.'" With that, Cye left.  
"We know that!" Allyson and Rowen shouted after him in unison. 


End file.
